British car production slumped by an annual 18.2% in October as the Coronavirus pandemic and lockdown measures continue to hit demand, a trade industry body said on Thursday. “These figures are yet more bad news for an industry battered by Covid, Brexit and, now, the unprecedented challenge of a complete shift to electrified vehicles in under a decade,” said SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes. Britain’s automotive sector is facing a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.